Case Number 12498

Night Of The Demons 2

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All Rise...

Judge David Johnson once had a wild night with some demons he met at an outdoor hot dog stand.

The Charge

No one leaves this party. Ever.

Opening Statement

The follow-up to a movie I have never seen is actually a pretty good
time.

Facts of the Case

In this sequel, the boys and girls of a Catholic school for troubled teens
find themselves in a heap of trouble when they get mixed up with summoning
demons. One collective of hard partiers, led by plucky blonde Terri (Christine
Taylor, Zoolander), decides to make this
year's Halloween memorable and sneak out of the school to throw a party at the
notorious Hull House, the site of a demon-charged massacre that happened several
years ago.

It's not long into the partying and sleazy topless making-out that the
demons, including Angela (Amelia Kinkade), the lead demon from the first movie,
come out to play. One by one the teens are butchered and when they flee, they
accidentally bring the demons with them to the school. All bets are off as the
fanged monstrosities go to town sending nubile co-eds screaming into the night,
usually coughing up a mixture of blood and Hell slime.

The Evidence

I'll stamp a recommendation on this early '90s horror-comedy, no sweat.
Having missed out on the first film, I'll admit I'm out of tune with the
mythology, but using the word "mythology" with a film called Night of the Demons probably lends
its storytelling a bit too much credit. After all, we're talking about a bunch
of stupid high-schoolers getting whacked by a demon-lady and that's about all
you need to know going into the sequel. This sequel isn't groundbreaking cinema
to be sure, but as far as fulfilling the prerequisites for a bodacious
direct-to-video bloodbath, Night of the Demons 2 delivers.

Start with the characters, a disposable crew, sure, but they're
entertaining. You've got the "demonology nerd" (?) and the jackass
cool dudes and the whorish babes and the protagonists, who make up for their
boring personalities with a combination of a) large bosoms and b) a dope mullet.
But the most memorable character is easily Sister Gloria (Jennifer Rhodes), a
feisty nun who uses her disciplinary yardstick to fight demons. Not bad. Not bad
at all.

That should give you a hint to another strong point of the flick: the
comedy. Not so much a straight horror film as a horror-comedy, Night of the
Demons 2 blends a good amount of amusing goofiness into the experience,
often producing memorable kills (more on that in the gore section to follow) and
some entertaining character exchanges.

The true highlight for the film is the gore. The filmmakers have devised
some great methods to dispatch their victims, all of which are played more for
tongue-in-cheek effect than terror. A few examples: one demon is decapitated and
he proceeds to play basketball with his head; an unlucky lady becomes carnally
intimate with a possessed tube of lipstick; another guy's melon is lopped off
and his neck stump spews gallons of blood; and, my favorite, a guy is murdered
by a pair of demonic breasts (that one needs to be seen by any self-labeled gore
fan). When the demons roll, the blood and guts blast out and the make-up effects
are solid enough to keep the mayhem engaging. A slimy, spurting, @#$%-ed-up
variety of executions that will be fun for the whole family. Add an ample amount
of sleaze and nudity to the equation and you've got yourself a fine example of
trash horror filmmaking.

Lions Gate's disc, on the other hand, is a no-frills bare bones release.
Full frame that's only a few degrees improved from a VHS copy, 2.0 stereo audio
and no extra features.

Closing Statement

For a shot of B-movie gore, nips and swashbuckling nuns, Night of the
Demons 2 is a good bet.

The Verdict

Not guilty. Must I now track down the other entries in this franchise?!?
Yikes.